Two weeks have come and gone since I arrived in Bangalore. I have settled in, started to have a routine, and am figuring out the ropes of living here. The past few days, I have really been thinking about what the expat lifestyle is. Living as an expat definitely has its ups and downs. I love that I get to experience a new place, work with people from diverse backgrounds, and travel easily. At the same time, expat life can be confusing, lonely, and at times, frustrating. I remember feeling all of these emotions during my stay in Brussels 4 years ago. I think the last few days illustrate all of these emotions, both the good and the bad, well.
This week, I really settled into work. I have started to work on many of the initiatives and roles I have been tasked with for the 5 months that I am here. I have loved experiencing how the office works in India and really enjoy my coworkers. Seeing the cultural differences, from the dress code to the way that management and employees interact, has really opened my eyes to the ways of doing business. I have already gained a new appreciation for the work that my Indian colleagues do.
Friday night, I was able to go out with several of the other expats here from my company. We visited a local Michelin star restaurant and had great conversation and food. We also experienced a bit of frustration when they tried to charge some of the group $20 for martinis. Luckily, this was sorted out and overall we had a nice evening. I am also in love with the alcohol free drink selections here. Unlike at home, they have amazing fruit mocktails.
For the weekend, I hadn't made any plans with other expats/coworkers, so it has been a rather quiet and low key couple of days. Saturday, I went to the Lalbagh Gardens, a local botanical garden. Saturday was Independence Day for India so they had a special flower display of the Bangalore palace, among other sites. I experienced a level of human congestion that I have never before seen. I felt like cattle being herded through the gates of the exhibit.
My feelings about the crowds. Also, I think I was the only non-Indian there....
After the gardens, I did a little shopping. I found a really cute 'kurta' for about $11. I am pretty excited to start wearing some Indian attire. It is all so beautiful and fun.
I also found a good grocery store for the first time and was able to get a few neccessities, including shampoo/conditioner - excited to not use the hotel stuff anymore. Walking through a grocery store in a foreign country can be one of the most difficult things. Everything is different, it is hard to figure out what is good quality, even what some things are. I found a whole aisle of rice, which I thought would be easy to cook, but nothing had instructions about water to add or times to cook. Made me nervous so I didn't buy any. Also, turns out this grocery store/mall has a high incidence rate of fraud, so my bank rejected my card when I tried to pay and I had to have my mom back the states call them to get it unlocked - thanks mom! Luckily, I had enough cash on hand to pay.
The picture below made me laugh. I guess if you want to go blonde in India, you are just out of luck.
To end the day, I had to make my way back to the hotel. I wasn't far away, so I took a rickshaw. The rickshaw drivers always rip off foreigners, then he wouldn't even drive into the business complex and dropped me off a couple blocks from the hotel.
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